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756 m · Wainwright — Eastern Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Hart Side - the summit cairn on a broad grassy plateau, with Ullswater's northern shore and the fields around Pooley Bridge below a bank of low cloud
Wainwright — Eastern FellsAlso a Birkett

Hart Side

Hart Side at 756m (2,480ft) is a broad, grassy summit between Stybarrow Dodd and the Ullswater shoreline, giving commanding views over the eastern shores of the lake and across to the High Street range.

756 m
Height
~3.5–4.5 h
Typical time
+10
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX → Parking & buses →
756 mWainwright — Eastern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+10 bonus Birketts within 3 km Serious in Clag

Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast

Modelled guidance for the 756 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Sat 12 Sep): 13° to 6°C, gusts to 48 mph, 17.3 mm of rain forecast.

Sat 12 Sep
🌧️
13° / 6°
💨 48 mph
🌧 17.3 mm (100%)
Sun 13 Sep
🌦️
13° / 8°
💨 21 mph
🌧 0.1 mm (12%)
Mon 14 Sep
🌦️
14° / 11°
💨 35 mph
🌧 2.4 mm (100%)
Tue 15 Sep
🌦️
14° / 8°
💨 35 mph
🌧 5.0 mm (98%)
Wed 16 Sep
🌦️
10° / 7°
💨 27 mph
🌧 1.3 mm (54%)
Thu 17 Sep
🌦️
9° / 7°
💨 34 mph
🌧 9.3 mm (97%)
Fri 18 Sep
🌦️
10° / 7°
💨 35 mph
🌧 10.2 mm (92%)

Forecast snapshot from 12 Sep 2026, 15:36 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 756 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.

Hart Side at a glance

Hart Side

Hart Side - the summit cairn on a broad grassy plateau, with Ullswater's northern shore and the fields around Pooley Bridge below a bank of low cloud
© Lee McCoy

Hart Side at 756m (2,480ft) is a broad, grassy summit between Stybarrow Dodd and the Ullswater shoreline, giving commanding views over the eastern shores of the lake and across to the High Street range. Wainwright described it as a fell of wide-ranging views, particularly east to the Pennines and north down the Vale of Eden. Reached from Dockray or Glenridding, usually combined with Sheffield Pike for a fine Ullswater circuit. Its open, grassy summit plateau is pleasant walking on a clear day, offering a quieter alternative to the busy Helvellyn ridges to the west.

Field notes

If anybody finds a black glove here, you're welcome to it. There must be thousands of singular gloves dotted around the Lakes. I went for a walk up here one August thinking the weather would turn nice - it didn't. I was clagged in from just a touch further around until the descent, and took my gloves off here because it offered a good view along Ullswater. It has a small but spritely cairn, though it would be mostly damp, I expect, for a sit down.

Routes up Hart Side

Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.

Classifications & hill data

Wainwright
Eastern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
756 m
Height
2,480 ft
In feet
NY 3590 1973
Grid ref

The short answers

Is Hart Side a Wainwright?

Hart Side is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list, the Nuttall list and the Fellranger list.

Where do you park for Hart Side?

We hold no car park within 2.5 km of the summit, so there is no short walk-in to recommend here. We only look within 2.5 km, measured straight-line: over longer distances a road may cross a pass and the drive bears no relation to the line.

My hikes over Hart Side (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.

Parking & buses for Hart Side

Best parking to hike Hart Side

Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).

Glencoyne (NT, paid) — 2.9 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Brown Hills (1.0 km), Swineside Knott (1.1 km), Glenridding Dodd (1.5 km). Fees: pay and display - the machine takes coins only, (LDNPA, checked Aug 2026).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Swineside Knott (layby) — 3.0 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Swineside Knott (1.1 km), Brown Hills (1.1 km), Common Fell (1.5 km). Paid parking (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Low How, north-east (layby) — 3.0 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Hart Side, Green Side (White Stones - Green Side), Stybarrow Dodd and Raise — the 'Hart Side, Stybarrow Dodd, Raise, Watson's Dodd and more' route starts 32 m away. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Low How (layby) — 3.0 km from summit (straight line)
0.7 km from Low How. Seen full by about 08:00 on a Saturday - Lee's own visit; a single sighting rather than a pattern.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Brown Hills (layby) — 3.0 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Brown Hills (1.2 km), Glenridding Dodd (1.3 km), Swineside Knott (1.3 km). Free (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?

Positions are approximate — zoom the map to confirm. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.

Tip: pan and zoom the interactive map at the top of this page to spot other potential parking near your route.

Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.

Getting to Hart Side by bus

The 509 stops at Dockray, outside The Royal Hotel, 750 m from the start of Birketts above Ullswater. The last bus is 19:09 towards Troutbeck (UB1) and 18:02 towards Grasmere (559) and 16:12 towards Keswick (509), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

Stagecoach 509
Penrith ↔ Keswick around Ullswater — calls at Pooley Bridge, Watermillock, Glenridding, Patterdale, Hartsop, Dockray, Matterdale, Mungrisdale and Threlkeld
Catch it from: Penrith · Keswick
The Ullswater side of the Penrith–Keswick corridor, and a second option where we previously showed only the 508. Reaches Helvellyn and Catstye Cam from Glenridding, Place Fell and Angletarn Pikes from Patterdale, the Hartsop fells, and Gowbarrow from Dockray. Frequency and season are not listed here because we have not verified a timetable — check Stagecoach before you rely on it. Note the Troutbeck on this route is the one on the A66 near Penrith, not the Troutbeck near Windermere.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

Hazards on Hart Side

Hazard & Incident Information for Hart Side

Hazard: Moderate

An indistinct, broad grassy fell hung off the eastern Dodds above Glencoyne and Deepdale. The top is gentle and easy to misread in cloud, but its southern side falls away in the precipitous crags of Glencoyne Head, and the approaches cross rough, boggy, tussocky ground. The main hazards are navigation and keeping clear of the steep southern edge. Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.

  • Glencoyne Head crags (southern edge): The south side drops steeply in the cliffs of Glencoyne Head, with precipitous views east. Keep well back from the southern edge, especially in cloud or wind — the broad grassy top gives little warning of the drop.
  • Featureless summit & boggy approaches: The broad grassy summit (with a scatter of boulders and the small Hart Crag outcrop) has few features, and the approaches cross rough, boggy, tussocky ground where the path is faint. Navigate by compass in cloud and watch your footing.
  • Steep slopes into Deepdale & winter: Grassy slopes drop steeply into Deepdale to the north and west; in winter the open ground holds snow and the southern crags hold ice. Keep to gentler ground, and carry full winter kit when there is snow.
Who should attempt this fell: Hart Side is easy walking but indistinct — keep well back from the Glencoyne Head crags on its south side, and navigate the featureless top by compass in cloud. Expect rough, boggy approaches, mind the steep grass into Deepdale, and treat it as exposed winter ground when there is snow or ice.

Most common causes: Walkers straying toward the Glencoyne Head crags in poor visibility · Navigation errors on the featureless grassy top in cloud · Slips on steep grass into Deepdale, or floundering in bog on the approaches · Winter exposure and ice on the open ground and southern crags

Local Mountain Rescue: Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab) · Reviewed 14 Jun 2026

Safety: Hazard guidance compiled from published Mountain Rescue reports and well-documented accident history - editorial background, not a live feed of callouts. Always check current conditions, carry proper navigation equipment, and seek qualified instruction before heading onto the fells. In an emergency, call 999, ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Report incorrect information (opens in new tab)

Navigating Hart Side in cloud

Serious in cloud

A broad, gently-sloping top with little to steer by — easy to lose your bearings and hard to relocate in mist. A serious place to be caught in cloud: carry map and compass (or GPS) and know how to use them, or save it for a clear day.

In winter — snow, whiteout, cornices, buried features — every top demands full winter navigation skills whatever its band, and a broad, gentle summit can be the worst place of all. See walking in bad weather and the navigation guide.

How Hart Side compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Map & nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.

Nearest parking: Glencoyne (NT, paid), about 2.9 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Hart Side (within 3 km)

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits — detour to them on this walk and they are pure profit. Distances are straight-line; allow extra for terrain.

0.6 km EBirkett Fell725 m · Eastern
1.2 km SSWGreen Side (White Stones)794 m · Eastern
1.7 km NWRanderside729 m · Eastern
1.9 km EBrown Hills551 m · Eastern
1.9 km NNEHigh Brow575 m · Eastern
2.0 km ESwineside Knott553 m · Eastern
2.3 km WNWLittle Dodd (St John's Common)785 m · Eastern
2.4 km NELow How497 m · Eastern
2.4 km SEHeron Pike (Glenridding)612 m · Eastern
2.4 km ENECommon Fell552 m · Eastern

Routes over Hart Side

16.45 km · ~694 m ascent · loop · ~4–6 h

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

✎️ Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet.

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass. How to use this guide.

24.44 km · ~816 m ascent · loop · ~6–8 h

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass. How to use this guide.

The view from Hart Side

The 360° skyline from Hart Side

A computed 360° skyline — every visible named top labelled by distance and bearing, from the terrain model in perfect clarity, not photographed. Drag to pan; reveal the far four-nations horizon.

drag to pan · arrow keys
Computed 360-degree skyline from Hart Side34 labelled tops shown (9 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 19 kmHelvellyn · 5 kmSkiddaw · 14 kmRaise · 3 kmFairfield · 8 kmBlencathra · 9 kmGreat Dodd · 2 kmStybarrow Dodd · 2 kmSt Sunday Crag · 6 kmHigh Street · 12 kmHigh Raise · 11 kmKnowe Crags · 9 kmWatson's Dodd · 2 kmThornthwaite Crag · 12 kmRed Screes · 12 kmStony Cove Pike · 11 kmRed Crag · 10 kmBowscale Fell · 11 kmScales Fell · 9 kmBakestall · 14 kmLoadpot Hill · 10 kmCarrock Fell · 14 kmCross Fell · 36 km · clear daysHelvellyn Lower Man · 5 kmBirkett Fell · 1 kmWether Hill · 10 kmHigh Brow · 2 kmSwarth Fell · 10 kmGreat Mell Fell · 7 kmLittle Mell Fell · 8 kmLow How · 2 kmSighty Crag · 66 km · clear daysGreen Hill · 5 kmEycott Hill · 10 kmGategill Fell Top · 9 kmHart Crag · 8 kmRampsgill Head · 11 kmGavel Pike · 6 kmLow Raise · 11 kmThe Knott · 10 kmFroswick · 14 kmCatstye Cam · 4 kmDoddick Fell · 9 kmLonscale Pike · 10 kmGray Crag · 11 kmLittle Hart Crag · 10 kmBirks · 6 kmBonscale Pike · 10 kmSouther Fell · 9 kmBeda Fell · 7 kmWatermillock Fell · 8 kmThe Cheviot · 115 km · a rare clear dayTinto · 122 km · a handful of days a yearWhite Coomb · 97 km · a rare clear dayWisp Hill · 80 km · a rare clear dayRoan Fell · 74 km · a rare clear dayDun Rig · 112 km · a rare clear dayBlackcraig Hill · 112 km · a rare clear dayPeel Fell · 84 km · a rare clear dayBlackwood Hill · 78 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Hart Side, by direction
  • North: Scales Fell (9 km), Atkinson Pike (9 km), Bannerdale Crags (10 km), Bowscale Fell (11 km)
  • East: Loadpot Hill (10 km)
  • South-east: Red Crag (10 km), The Knott (10 km), High Raise (11 km), Rampsgill Head (11 km), Caudale Moor (11 km), Stony Cove Pike (11 km), Low Raise (11 km), High Street (12 km), Thornthwaite Crag (12 km), Froswick (14 km), Ill Bell (14 km)
  • South: Helvellyn (5 km), St Sunday Crag (6 km), Gavel Pike (6 km), Fairfield (8 km), Hart Crag (8 km), Red Screes (12 km)
  • South-west: Stybarrow Dodd (2 km), Raise (3 km), Ill Crag (18 km), Broad Crag (19 km), Scafell Pike (19 km)
  • West: Watson's Dodd (2 km)
  • North-west: Great Dodd (2 km), Blencathra (9 km), Gategill Fell Top (9 km), Knowe Crags (9 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (12 km), Skiddaw Little Man (12 km), Skiddaw South Top (13 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (13 km), Skiddaw (14 km), Skiddaw North Top (14 km), Broad End (14 km), Bakestall (14 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: The Cheviot (115 km, England), Tinto (122 km, Scotland), White Coomb (97 km, Scotland), Ettrick Pen (89 km, Scotland), Culter Fell (114 km, Scotland), Wisp Hill (80 km, Scotland), Cauldcleuch Head (82 km, Scotland), Roan Fell (74 km, Scotland).

Computed from terrain in perfect clarity, not photographed · distances are straight-line.

Computed from Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills (opens in new tab) (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

Sunrise and sunset on Hart Side

Hart Side catches the sun before the valley does. On not one of the sixteen dates modelled does this summit wait for first light — the eastern horizon falls away rather than standing over you, and at midsummer the light reaches it 4 minutes before almanac sunrise.

30°40°50°60°04:32
Midsummer. The filled shape is the skyline as seen from the summit; the line is the sun’s path. Where they meet is first light — everything left of that point is the wait.
Times for 2026, in Lakeland clock time (GMT in winter, BST in summer) — and model outputs rather than observations.
First lightAlmanac sunriseDifference
Midsummer04:32 BST ±5.0 min04:36-4 min
Equinox06:13 GMT ±5.0 min06:15-2 min
Midwinter08:32 GMT ±5.0 min08:33-1 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean -0.31°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Hart Side

Hart Side loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls on 1 May, when last light is 25 minutes before almanac sunset — 20:21 against 20:46. The sun goes down to the west-north-west from here (293.3°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 2.93°.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last lightAlmanac sunsetDifference
Midsummer21:46 BST ±5.0 min21:53-7 min
Equinox18:22 GMT ±5.0 min18:26-4 min
Midwinter15:45 GMT ±5.0 min15:48-3 min

Computed, not photographed. First light is the first minute the sun’s upper limb clears this summit’s own skyline and last light the last minute it is still clear of it, both solved against the 360° horizon profile behind The View from Hart Side. Almanac sunrise and sunset are the flat-horizon convention. Every time carries a ± band from the 30 m elevation model — it smooths arêtes and cornices, so nothing here claims better than five minutes. These are daylight figures, not a descent plan: the light goes on fading for a good while after the sun leaves, and going down in it is a decision about your own ground and party, not about this table.

What you can see from Hart Side

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
49Wainwrights in view+9 marginal
37 kmFurthest sightlineGreat Dun Fell
Sea in viewnone from here
Far horizons
  • Great Dun Fell North PenninesENE · 37 km clear
  • Cross Fell North PenninesENE · 36 km clear
All 49 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

How Hart Side’s view compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.

Sightlines from a bare-earth terrain model (forests and buildings not included), corrected for the Earth’s curvature and average atmospheric refraction. “Distant” sightlines and any over 100 km depend on exceptionally clear air. Modelled from Copernicus GLO-30 open elevation data — a guide to the view, not a guarantee of any single one.

Places to stay near this fell

Lowthwaite Bed and Breakfast (opens in new tab) guest house

about 3.9 km from the start, in a straight line

The only property in the cluster that answers the whole arrival sequence for a family: a drying room in the all-rooms facilities list, a cot and a high chair, children of all ages accepted, and an honest note that its ground-floor room is still reached by steps. It is also the only page in the radius that describes this exact walk from its own door - Gowbarrow Fell to Aira Force and back through Matterdale - and Little Mell Fell, the second summit of one of the routes this start serves, is the fell behind the house.

Most of the furniture in the rooms was made by hand in Tanzania, where the owners used to run a business organising Kilimanjaro climbs.

  • Drying room “The following are available for all rooms: Television,DVD player, Hairdryer, Tea/Coffee making facilities, Use of garden and patio, Use of guidebooks and other books, Maps (for planning and laminated for walks), Drying room, and Fridge (in the Dining Room).”
  • Family rooms “We have a cot, high chair(s) and special cutlery for small children.”
  • Parking “Another alternative is to use what3words where our car park is primed.lavished.amounting”
  • Children “Children Welcome We are very happy to welcome children of all ages.”

Low Gale (opens in new tab) self-catering

about 4.4 km from the start, in a straight line

The best answer in the cluster for a party with a dog, a small child and tired knees at once: single storey, sleeps seven, cot available, off-road parking, drying facilities and a coin laundry, with hot food available from the hotel kitchen so nobody has to drive at seven in the evening. The price of all that is a three-night minimum with fixed Friday and Monday changeover, which is why the minimum-stay line matters more here than anywhere else in this list.

The Ullswater Steamer jetty at Howtown is reached from the cottage by footpath, so the lake boat can be walked to rather than driven to.

  • Drying room “Ample storage and drying facilites Very spacious, comfortable lounge Fully fitted dining kitchen”
  • Dogs “Low Gale Ullswater is an elevated single storey, dog friendly holiday cottage located just beside Fusedale Beck and can easily accomodate 7 people.”
  • Family rooms “Cot available Dishwasher *Washing Machine 2 bathrooms 1 double bedroom 2 twin rooms 1 single room”
  • Evening meal “visitors can cook local fayre or alternatively take advantage of the dine at home meals available from the Hotel kitchen.”
  • Parking “Facilities Free Superfast Broadband Dog friendly Off road parking Smoke-free Garden / Patios Cot available Dishwasher *Washing Machine”

Worth knowing before you book

These places state on their own site that they do not take children.

What each place says about itself, quoted from their own site. We have not stayed at any of them, and there are no prices, no booking and no affiliate links. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).

Frequently asked questions about Hart Side

Is Hart Side hard to find?

That is the right question for this fell. Hart Side is a broad, indistinct grassy shoulder hung off the eastern Dodds, the top is gentle, and it is easy to misread in cloud — there is no moment where the ground tells you that you have arrived.

Its southern side is steeper and rougher than the summit implies. Our shorter round over it is 16.4 km with 694 m of ascent, and we grade its navigation hard against a steepness of only moderate — which is the clearest statement of this fell there is. It is not a climb; it is a map-reading exercise.

Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-08-30 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)

Other fells near Hart Side